Cojo Urges Thant to Insist Upon Inquiry into Status of Jews in Arab States

The Conference of Jewish Organizations (COJO) has urged United Nations Secretary-General U Thant to insist that any representative appointed to inquire into the situation of civilians in the Middle East be given an unrestricted opportunity to visit Jewish communities and Jews under detention in Arab countries.

The request was part of a resolution on Jews in Arab lands passed by COJO at a three-day parley here. The resolution expressed the organization’s “deep distress” at the plight of Jews in Egypt, Syria and Iraq and called on those Governments to end their “discrimination and inhuman treatment of Jews living in their midst” and to restore to them “elementary human rights.”

(A UN investigation of the condition of civilians in the Middle East war zone was ordered several months ago by the Security Council. Israel agreed to cooperate provided the probe also covered Jews in Arab states. But Arab refusal to allow such an investigation has forced Mr. Thant to delay naming his emissary.)